NIH Report: STUDY OF SUGARS ON CELL SURFACE IDENTIFIES KEY FACTOR IN FLU INFECTION

Scientists have identified a key factor that determines the ability of influenza viruses to infect cells of the human upper respiratory tract — a necessary step for sustaining spread between people. The research, described in the 6 January online edition of Nature Biotechnology and funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), offers new insights into how the H5N1 avian flu virus currently circulating in birds would have to change in order to gain a foothold in human populations.

The study of glycomics is a new frontier and we'll see a lot more about it in the years to come. This press release from the NIH shows that initial findings of specific sugars play a role (good or bad) in how a flu virus gains access to the immune system or is repelled. Understanding how these sugars interact will lead to the development of new medical technology as well as understanding physiological processes that occur at the cellular level.

Harpers Biochemistry identifies eight monosaccharide sugars that must be present for normal cell function in all living things. Every human cell uses these sugars to build 'messenger molecules' and the virus also uses these sugars as part of its own molecular structure. Some believe that has been a controversial subject but the fact the NIH is funding studies like this one show the importance sugars play in the future of world health. This study from the NIH is a study of how these sugars have been impacting immunological communications since the beginning of life.

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